Instruction of the Ministry of Forestry regarding promotion of willdife protection (No.551 LN/KL)

MINISTRY OF FORESTRY SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM Independence-Freedom-Happiness No.551 LN/KL Hanoi, 21 March 1994 Re: Promoting Wildlife Protection To: People's Committees ................ Wildlife is the valuable resource of our country. To protect wildlife is one important task in conserving nature, biodiversity and environment which is a concern of the entire world. In order to protect this precious resource, the Government has declared many documents, laws, but so far, the trading and hunting of wildlife and their by-products are not strictly seized, some where the status is very serious. Many wildlife species are endangered. With the aim of strictly implementing the law on forest protection and development dated 19 August 1991; the Resolution 18-HDBT dated 17 January 1992 of the Government regarding the list of rare and precious species of wild fauna and flora and the regulation to manage and protect; the Instruction 130-TTg dated 27 March 1993 of Prime Minister for managing and protecting rare and precious species; the official joining of CITES of the Government of Vietnam; and in order to protect sustainably use wildlife resources, Ministry of Forestry suggest esteemed People's Committee: 1. Organise to spread awareness to people about the benefit and value of wildlife, to disseminate expansively and intensively the law, resolution, instruction of Government regarding the proper management, protection, exploitation and utilisation of wildlife resources. 2. Instruct the forestry institutions, Forest Protection Department, Customs Office, tax services, and market management of the province: Prohibit in hotels, restaurants to advertise and serve the food cooked from wildlife or their products. Prohibit producing and selling products made of mammal skin, stuffed specimens and the products of wildlife collected from nature such as: horn, antler, claw, nail, bone and skin, etc. especially the products made of ivory, turtle shell, tiger, panther fur, ox horn, min horn, bubalus bubalis, rhinoceros, bovid, etc. Strictly control and seize the illegal trading wildlife, especially in domestic market and transfer through frontier, demobilise the centre for illegal trade in wildlife. Severely treat the case of illegal hunting, trading wildlife and their by-products. Quickly transfer live specimens which have been confiscated to the zoos at locality or Saigon, Hanoi zoos, national parks or organise to reintroduce to forest, etc. 3. Encourage the institution, individual to conduct farming of wildlife for use in domestic market or export. The exporter who exports captive bred individuals of the 2nd generation will be given a favoured policy. 4. The exporting or importing of wild vegetation and animal and their products should observe the provisions of CITES, the regulations of the Government of Vietnam and should obtain the export permit from the Ministry of Forestry. Minister of Forestry Nguyen Quang Ha (signed)